Civil Registration System (CRS), the dynamic births and deaths website initiated by the Central government for a uniform registration process across the country six years ago is in for a revamp with provisions like monetary fines for delays or non-issurnace of certificates, in light of discrepancies observed during the COVID waves throughout the country.
While Telangana has not yet joined the system and Andhra Pradesh has firmed up being the only one from the South to be part of the online registration system, the draft proposals circulated shows that the Centre wants to introduce penalties against both the registration officials and the hospitals concerned for not issuing births and deaths certificates before the mandated 7-21 days.
“Missing persons in both births/deaths and duplications can be avoided if States adhere to CRS as monitoring mechanism and integration of data is lacking at the village, mandal and district levels. Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1969 is in for major change once proposals are discussed and rules are framed,” informed senior officials, wishing to remain unnamed.
Draft proposals suggest that any official or hospital refusing to write name, description and place of abode or to put thumb mark in the register would have to pay a fine of ₹250 and in case of any institution, the fine can be extended up to ₹500 per event of birth or death.
Any Registrar — Assistant Medical Officer of Health (AMOH), Mandal Revenue Officer (MRO) — or Sub-Registrar — Assistant Municipal Commissioners (AMCs) or the village secretary — neglecting or refusing without a reasonable cause, to register any birth or death occurring in his/ her jurisdiction can be fined for up to ₹1,000 per case.
Any medical practitioner neglecting to issue a certificate and any person refusing and deliver such certificate can also be punished for up to ₹1,000 in each event of a birth or death. In case of the criminal offence in giving false certificates, a penal fee of ₹150 is to be levied on the particular person or in case of institution a ₹500 fine per event of birth or death.
Aadhaar number inclusion is to be made mandatory and CRS data can be used to update Population Registrar, electoral rolls, ration card database, passport and others. Another change suggested is appointment of special sub-registrars in event of any disaster for the spot registration of deaths and in respect of non-institutional adoption, the adoptive parents will have to provide information.
In respect of child born to a single parent/ unwed mother from her womb, the parent or the nearest relative can do so. Any death occurring in medical institutions — public or private — it is mandatory to provide a certificate as to the cause of death. Senior officials hope that the draft will also bring a clarity about uniformity in departments dealing with registration because it is either the health department, department of economics and statistics or local governments in the States.
TS has its own unified births and deaths website with glaring absence of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and many other civic bodies. “GHMC is mandated to issue birth/death certificates but it has stopped and enabled Meeseva centres to do so at a charge of an additional ₹10, at ₹30. At ₹20 per certificate, citizen service centres were able to generate more than ₹50 lakh revenue annually to take care of all expenses including salary to health assistants,” add senior officials.
